Forecast: Holiday weekend will see more typical trade winds with some passing showers

HAWAIIAN ISLANDS (HawaiiNewsNow) – Trade wind showers kept our radar busy the last several days, but we are expecting some changes this weekend with more sunshine overall with more typical trade wind showers focused over windward spots and on Kauai.
A remnant frontal boundary brings increased showers to Molokai and Oahu today and Kauai late tonight into early Saturday. Stable, breezy trades then prevail well into next week. Remnant frontal zone has shifted west into the Kauai Channel this afternoon and presents as a narrow band of shallow moisture existing at the convergent interface of breezy NE trades and building easterlies. As drier conditions develop over Oahu this afternoon and evening in the wake of the departing convergence boundary, showers will increase over Windward Kauai through tonight. As governing high pressure migrates eastward, easterlies will gradually build across the area which will usher this band of showers westward with time. Drier upstream air will begin working into Kauai during Saturday.
Let’s talk surf: A reinforcing medium period NW to NNW swell has started to fill in this afternoon and should peak tonight into early Saturday, then gradually decline over the weekend. A moderate NW swell is expected to fill in on Monday and will likely peak near advisory levels late Monday. This swell will be followed by a slightly larger NW swell on Wednesday, which should produce advisory level surf for N and W facing shores next week Wednesday. Surf along east-facing shores will remain rough and choppy through the early next week due to the breezy trade winds. Long range models are showing a significant increase of windswell towards the later half of next week due a large fetch of strong trade winds setting up over and upstream of the state. Surf should easily reach advisory thresholds, and it may reach warning levels along east facing shores during its peak towards the end of next week.
Wishing you blue skies and much aloha.
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